Bad case of loving you
by Allytsuki
Summary: "Please, please, help us! We beg you!" Both had tears in their eyes. It nearly broke my heart, to see them so desperate. Kneeling on the floor, right infront of me. "Sato-sensei. We beg you! You have to treat our taicho!"
1. Chapter 1

**So...a new story... **

**I know, I know...I´m still not finished with "You can´t be Sirius!", but this story floats in my mind for a very long time...**

**And some vocabulary!**

**_Shinto_**** - former religion in Japan, until buddhism was brought from the continent**

**_Yomi_**** - hell in Shinto Religion; can be compared with the christian and jewish hell**

**_Shinigami_**** - Soul Reaper**

**_shihakusho_**** - Shinigami Uniform**

**_performing kosode_**** - sending someone to heaven - in this case Soul Society**

**per chapter every new vocabulary will be put**_ like this_**! But only the new one!**

**I hope you like it^^**

* * *

It was just like every other day in my surgery in _Higashiyama-ku_. It was boring. The most exciting case I got this year was a steptococcal infection. Most of my patients were over sixty or really sickly. Most of them both. There were moments, I forgot why I wanted to be a doctor. Espeacially when the women of the radioprogramm I used to hear while making breakfast was telling me, that the flue season had began just some days ago. Dozent of pensioned humans would be sitting in my waiting room, coughing and emitting liters of fluids through all their body orifices. Lucky me! The same sentence over and over again: „Please drink a lot, don´t strain yourself and take one of xy-pills with every meal." I can´t believe I opened a surgery here in _Higashiyama-ku_ - Kyoto´s ward with the highest age average since the 1980´s.

Oh, I remember: Because I trusted this creepy basterd, who lured me in this relationship with promises of love, family and a save future. I was just an intern at the town hospital near the village I grew up, he a new attending fresh from Tokyo General Hospital. Now you could think it was sooooooooo romantic! Like going out a lot, „make-out session" in the corners and sex in the ready room. Grow up. A doctor´s life is not like Grey´s Anatomy. It´s full of running, touching, hitting, poking with long and thin needles into god-knows-what, excrements, blood, piercing sound of machines when somebody´s heart stopped – again, constantly beeping pager, the mobile phones, no social life, hypochondriac and drastic diagnosis on yourself, false drastic diagnosis on yourself, confusing your bed with a patients bed, microsleep and last but not least bad food. And if you are in your internship as an internist in a hospital the things double themselves everytime you would rest your eyes just an itsy bitsy bit.

I don´t know how I managed it to engage into a rather sloppy romance with – technically – my boss, but I did. But as soon as I was myself the senior to the interns, he dumped me. Wonderful, ne?

Utterly heartbroken I moved to Kyoto – convenient my parents already died when I was 29 – and worked like crazy two more years in a hospital in _Nakagyo-ku_ until I was an internal specialist and decided it was time to settle down to start a family. So I just needed to find a man. Hundreds of Omiais later I still had no man, so I stopped searching and decided to take matters in my own hands

I bought an old surgery in Higashiyama-ku, a small flat above it and registered in nearly twenty adoption agencys. But the only news I ever got was that there wasn´t a child in my preference to mediate. ( I said I woul accept anything from toddler to teenager.) So I started a new project:

Between attending patients and building up a social life, I gave myself shots with female hormones, so my eggs could be put with donated sperm into a culture dish and produce new life.

I tried three times and three times negative. My life was great, wasn´t it?! With 35 I finally stopped this emotional torture and decided that having a family wasn´t my fate. Instead I became the „adorable doctor near the bakery", who attended almost every neighbourhood festival, flee market and shrine ceremony to increase the patient number at my surgery.

Well, let´s get to my death. Like I said, it was a perfectly boring day, like everyday. I **just** finished the last patient for the day, my receptionist was **just** on her way home, and I **just** wanted to put a box full with patient records, when I **just** stumbled on my heel, **just **hid my head on the cupboard and this big and heavy box **just** fell on my hed. To cut a long story short: My neck broke. It was really painful. But before I could scream or cry, I was already dead. **Just great!**

I was always a faithful _Shinto_. - My grandmother is to blame. Instead of sweets and toys, she gave me the old story books full of bloody legends, incest and tragic deaths. I´m so lucky she wasn´t a christ. - So I believed I would go to _yomi_ – hell – immedately, but was surprised:

I stood above my lifeless body and stared at it.

I didn´t look very dignified. My body layed crumbled and twisted on the floor. It made me glad to be out of it. This position seemed quite unconfortable. My eyes were wide open in shock, as my mouth. I really hoped, that there weren´t any flies in this room.

Sighing I wrinkled my nose. There were coffee stains on my pants and the rather new askew white blouse I bought just two weeks ago revealed my bra. Wonderful. This would be the last image my poor receptionist would have of me.

Then I noticed the chain on my chest. Right there, where my heart should be. I didn´t even dared to touch it – I was too afraid to hurt myself again. „So...what am I gonna do know?" I sighed and sat down beside my body.

My receptionist, Kohare, found me on the next day. Poor thing. She was twenty and really needed this Job. Her dream was to study medicine too, although she couldn´t see a single drop of blood. Unfortently her parents couldn´t pay for her tuition fees for High School, so she started working with fifteen, barely passing her final exams. The first two years of University were so hard, juggling work and lectures, she had to stop the study. Now she saved for the next years of Univerity. She would never achieve her dream of being a doctor, but the placement of a nurse could be a compromise. I left everything to her. The surgery, my little money and the flat so she could support her future family. But now she should sell everything and move to another ward of Kyoto.

When she started crying and shaking me, I had to cry too. She touched my heart with her optimistic laugh. You could say she made my day under the old (insert random insult for eldery people)...everyday. I tried to touch her, but my hand just went through her. This was the moment I fully realized that I was dead. I cried harder.

The ambulance and the mortician came twenty minutes later. Kohare left with them.

I sat there for nearly seven hours until it happened. A man in a black s_hihakusho_ – I know, blame my grandmother – stepped through the wall and grinned like an idiot.

„Ha! Finally I found you!" He pointed with his finger at me.

„Wuhuu..." I wasn´t in a good mood. Everyone could understand that, but not that maroon in front of me. „And why were you searching for me?"

The man looked puzzled. „Why? Because I want to perform _kosode_ on you!" His chest swelled proudly.

„_Kosode_? - Oh! You are sending me to _Yomi_! Finally! I thought I would be stuck here, seeing everyone crying over my death!"

„_Yomi_? No, I´ll send you to Soul Society."

„Soul...Society?" Okay, where was the camera? Soul Society, my ass! (I can´t believe I thought that) „What on earth is Soul Society?"

Suddenly the man looked exactly like a chimpanzee trying to solve a puzzle even grown up humans couldn´t solve. Simply angry. „It´s Soul Society. I am a Shinigami and it´s my duty to send plus souls to Soul Society."

I raised my eyebrows. „Shinigami? Plus Souls?" I was already dead, presumely now crazy...so why not...

„Alright, Shinigami! Send me to Soul Society – The afterlife I presume?!"

„yup!" he took his Katana from his hip and held it infront of my forehead. „Have a good journey!", he said bright.

„Thanks." The hilt hit my forehead.

Now here I am:

Sato Shiori

36 years (and six months)

and dead

* * *

**Thank you for reading everything to the end! **

**Comments are apreciate, flames... don´t care and following and faving wished!**

**'Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter...phew...**

**Well, it will take some time, until the plot REALLY starts...but I hope you´ll still enjoy it.**

**Allright: Vocabular lesson!**

**_haha_**** - formal version of our 'mother', when speaking about her with other people**

**_hahaue_**** - formal greeting of your own mother/or in law**

**_-san_**** - comparable to our Mr. or Mrs. or Ms.**

**_-kun_**** - form of address for young girls by older people or younger men and boys**

**_Oiran_**** - brothel**

**_Geishe_**** - noble prostitute (not to be confused with a Geisha!)**

**_Tayu_**** - simple, but not lowest, prostitute**

**_azushi-Momoyama_**** - time period in Japan 1573-1603 / no western influence**

**_Sensei_**** - Form of address for teachers, advisers and doctors**

* * *

I always thought the afterlife would be more...hell like. Being burned to ashes, still being alive. Thousands of torments and suffering and so on. But when I opened my eyes again, I stood in the middle of a street. Not a normal street full of cars and lorries just waiting to kill me again, but full with people dressed like fivehundred years ago in the _azushi-Momoyama_ period (I was a real swot in school, I know). To my greatest surprise I wore a plain summer yukata myself. The bulding looked like from a story book about the japanese feudal era. No street lanterns, no cars, no electricy – nothing! Saying I was confused is definetly understated. It took me hours to find someone, who could explain to me where I was. Besides being told that this was Soul Society and I would stand in district 5 in South Rukongai, nobody only glanced at me.I wasn´t able to find any help until the sun started to disappear behind the roofs. It was an old lady, who invited me to her small house just around the corner.

She treated me like a daughter and I felt so glad, that I started crying. It wasn´t easy to die. Accepting the end of your own life, starting completely new again was so frightening. But I had luck. This women found me, gave me a roof over my head and treated me with this motherly warmth I thought I lost.

She had not much money, but even here in the afterlife, people got sick and needed to see a doctor. Lucky for me was the fact, that not a lot of the dead were docters and so I got (somehow) my old job back. It was strange not to prescribe medicaments, but after a while I accoustemed myself to it. A chemist had his small apothecary a half a day trip away and he and _hahaue_ (she persuaded me to call and speak about her like she was my mother) seemed to be quite fond of eachother. Even dead and given a new chance of life I still wasn´t able to find luck in love.

I think I lived two or three years there until I realised it. hahaue once asked me, if I had have somebody while I was alive. It was really emberrassing to answer that truthfully, so I just stated I had been fine on my own. (I must really sound like an old maiden)

* * *

I treated nearly everyone, who hadn´t the money for the expencive doctor in the upper district. From simple craftsmen over Mothers and children to water merchands. And I saw almost everything. The Flu, abdominal influenza, pneumonia, rashes and I think I even spotted a case of steptococcal infection. But when on monday - I just decided one morning, when Ifelt tired and really irritated to call it monday, since here nobody would care to shedule the time orther than day and year. - this girl stepped through the door I suddenly remembered why I became a doctor.

She looked ver frightened, pale and athreptic. Her yukata, in comparsion to the ones of the district, seemed expencive. How she wore her hair, she walked – I knew she was a prostitute. Not an _Geishe_, maybe a lower _Tayu_, but still a prostitute. And I expected the worst. Syphillis, aids, hepatitis. If that were the case, I never could have helped her. That case scared me to death. Modern medicine is able to help so many people, it may not cure them, but they could live much longer even with the diseas!

So when I bid her in the small room haha offered me as my surgery, I was prepared for the worse.

„So, how can I help you?", I asked carefully. I didn´t want to scare her of. She already looked terrified.

„I...the _haha_ of our...my..." That were the only words I could understand her mumbeling. Her hands were shaking and tears shot to her eyes. Luckily she already sat, otherwise shoul would have fainted.

„What about we start with your name?!" Smiling I layed my hand soothing on hers. „Don´t be afraid. Everything will be allright."

She nodded hastily and started again. „My name is Ai..."

„Hello, Ai-kun. My name is Sato Shiori." I pulled my hand back into my lap. „So...what can I do for you?"

First the girl stayed silent, but after taking a deep breath she seemed to had regained her speach.

„The _haha _of...you know send me here..." Well, that was a beginning. I tried to giv her an encouraging glance. „I...am bleeding."

„Okay. Then let me see it." My joy of her talking to me got crushed, after she shifted backwards like being electroshocked.

„It´s...not..."

I sighed heavily. „Ai-kun, if you want me to help you, you have to speak to me." This is the first sentence an intern at a hospital learned. That and the certain tone your voice must have to get the patient to trust you and at the same time being able to corner them without scaring them.

„I am bleeding...down there." She pointed shyly with her index finger at her own lap. At first I was puzzled, but then it made click.

„You got your period?" I raised my eyebrows. „That´s pretty late for your age." How old was she? Eighteen, nineteen? „Bu-"

„Period?", she asked innoccent. „What is that?" Her head shifted to the left. It made her look like a confused dog.

„Didn´t your _haha_ told you about it? How children are born?" Ai shaked her head. Great, I had to give a strange girl the talk. „Well...when a man and a women have sexual intercourse – sex – there is the possibility that the women gets pregnant."

And then I gave her the talk of the flowers and the bees. She nodded like a child, that was thaught how to cook. Ofcoure she had sex before, but the whole thing with being impregnate was all new to her.

„So...you are saying...that I can have a child?!" the thought of a child brought a light to her eyes that I always saw in the eyes of my old classmates I met on the street, when they talked about their own offsprings.

„Yes, your body is ready for it. But I am asking you: Can you afford to have a child? The child of one of your clients?"

The girl bit on her lip. „You said...I will be with a child, when I sleep with...a man...But that´s my..."

I nodded. „You are young and I don´t think you are ready for a child. - There a methods to prevent a pregnency." She nodded. „So I will give you the name of a plant you will dry and make to special kind of tea you´ll drink at least once a day. It will also stop your period, so don´t wonder if it does not show up next month."

I wrote down the plant name and gave her the directionts to a shoten, where she could buy it. She thanked me more than enough and headed off.

How come she never knew about this? In a brothel, an Oiran, there should be known any method of contraception. And don´t the women get here their periods? I know, almost nobody got hungry, only thirsty, but their bodies are intact...and aging! Even I got my period shortly after I arrived. What is going on in this strange world?

* * *

After some weeks, Ai came back. In tow another girl, a bit older and a lot skinnier than her. She seemed also to be a prostitute. I mentally prepared myself to give again this emberrassing speach, but then the girl caughed. And it didn´t sound very healthy.

When I examinated her, I thought she had a simple pneumonia, but then I asked how long it had been, since she felt sick and how exactly it showed. And I didn´t like what I heard.

Four to five weeks.

Yellow to green sputum.

Suddenly and chronic fatigue.

Night sweads without fever.

This was bad. Really bad. I sat there for a while, trying to comprehend the diagnosis myself.

How am I gonna say to her, that she will propably – no certanly die.

„Do you know, what she has, _sensei_?", Ai asked concerned, still having her oprimistic aura around her. She reminded me off Kohare.

Breath, Shiori, breath. I told myself. You learned that in your internship! „You have tuberculosis.", I said calmly. Trying not to tremble. „This diseas is very dangerous. It destroys your inner organs slowly and painful." The girls gasped horrified.

„And...there is no cure?" Ai started crying.

I massaged the brinck of my nose, trying to find an answer. There was a cure: antibiotics. But I doubted that I would get my hands on something like that. After all, were we all dead. Even if we could die again!

„I don´t know...", I said finally. „But...I need your friend to rest. A lot. Let her drink tea and give her something to eat. It will strenghen her body for now. Also she is not allowed to have customers. If your tuberculosis is infectious it will spread all over the district." Both nodded silently. „And try to burn some joss sticks in her room...It could slow down the danger of infection."

This could be the end of everything...Tuberculosis wasn´t to go easy with. Even when I was alive, nobody had been hundred percent sure, if the patient suffering on tuberculosis would live even with the medication. My doctoral dissertation was about tuberculosis, nevertheless abou the new therapies and western medicine. I should now, what I was talking about.

Two weeks later, more girls from the_Oiran_ came to me. All of them showed tuberculosis symptoms. So I was forced to go to the brothel myself and inform the _haha_, that her _O__iran_ had to be shut down, until...well...the tuberculosis would have disappeared. To say that she was upset was underestimated. She threw a tantrum, I´d never experiencced before, not even by the children I used to babysit during High School. But in the end, she agreed.

I visited them almost daily, tried diffrent teas and hearbs I bought from the chemist. Nothing helped. After three weeks the first women died quickly followed by two young girls. They were not even twelve. One month later three older women died – the haha, one waitress and an older tayu. Luckily no other people in the ward were infected. But a lot of them had been in panic and rushed to my rough-and-ready surgery. Hypochondria – really typical. After the avian influenza had broken out, I could afford a new car. However, I didn´t have the heart being payed for such a diagnosis here. The people here could afford only just their living expensives. (Although I really wanted a new Yukata. I still wore the one I recieved after dying.)

It was on a thursday, when I got the idea. I was just walking over the small market to clear my head and I never intented buying anything. But as soon as I passed the small stand full with wasabi and radish, it hit me. I had once patient in my internship, who was a whitness of Jehova, so he refused medical treatment. He tried curing his illnes with kale family; a tip he had got from his priest. And to my biggest surprise it almost did cure him. Guess what he had? Right – Tuberculosis!

I immedately ran to the chemist, almost forgetting the wasabi and redish, and gave him my order. The whole street was in uproar about it. A lot of them congratulated me...many whispered. At first everything seemed to go well. The remaining girls gained weight, started eating and smiling again. I was over the moon. The succes of my therapie spreaded almost through the whole district. My surgery was full with patients everyday and so I could afford my new Yukata. Not only that. _Hahaue_ got a new futon and I was able to employ a girl from the district as my assistant. I asked Ai before, but she refused, Saying it wasn´t her destiny.

For the first time, since I had opened my surgery, I felt like a real doctor again. But as soon as succes comes, it goes.

One after the other, the girls died. It came suddenly. Ai´s friend was the first. The bacterium might have come immune to the treatment. In all the euphoria I neglected this possibility and I felt stupid and guilty at the same moment. I knew it wasn´t my fault. They would have died without me...but they had still the opportunity to live...

Nobody else caught tuberculosis after that. Just one of them – I figure it was Ai´s friend – must have had an open tuberculosis, the only one, which is infectious for surrounding people, and had tainted the other women. But without a lab analysis I couldn´t be sure, so I gave the advise to burn the house out, or at least try to desinfect it. Burning down, because I didn´t and still don´t know how resistend and long lively the tuberculosis bacterium is in the afterlife. They didn´t follow my advise, instead, a new _Oiran_ opened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello there...this will me my last update for this story until christmas!**

**I know...not really productive. (But I don´t care^^)**

**vocabulary time, yay^^**

**shihakusho - Shinigami robe**

**Ano - Like our ehm, err... a filler word**

**Nene - I dunno, how you would translate it in English; in Germany we say "Na, na"**

**Hai - Yes/Understand/ etc. pp**

**shoji walls - paper walls**

**Jusanbantai - 13th Division**

**Jusanbantaicho - 13th Division´s Captain**

**Yunbantai - 4th Division**

**Gomen nasai - I am sorry**

**Gomen - sorry**

**Watashi no namae wa...desu - My name is...**

**Hajimashite - nice to meet you**

**Onegai shimasu - Please (polite asking)**

**Onegai - (begging) please**

**(domo) arigatou - Thank you**

* * *

A year after the tuberculosis incident, they came. It was a patrol of this strange people, clad in s_hihakusho_, armed with katanas. I barely knew anything about them. Sure, they called themselves Shinigami and performed kosode on freshly died souls...that was it. And I never really bothered to ask hahaue or anyone other. But now I thought, it would have come in handy.

Most of the people on the streats eyed them angrily, other shouted comments and demands not suited for underaged audiance.

I was on my way back from the chemist and was just aproaching the heavy wood door of the house I shared with hahaue, when they approached me.

„Hey, you!", someone shouted. So I turned around, facing at least ten of them.

„Can I help you?"

„Are you aquintance with a man named Sato?"

„No." The only Sato I knew beside me, was a small boy. He had a slightly worse cold than normal, so his father brought him to me some weeks ago. It wasn´t as bad, as the father had thought. Sato-kun recovered three or four days later. „I never met a man with the name Sato here." Which was very strange, because Sato was one of the most common last name in Japan. Maybe every Sato died without regret and was reincarnated immedately.

The man, who just had spoken to me frowend. Next to him stood a girl – maybe twenty or some years less – who stepped him on his foot. „We are lost! I told you so!" What a fury...

„But the guy told us Sato lives around this corner!", he whined and pushed the angry girl away. „And you were the one, who asked that geezer! It´s your fault!"

I sighed. Great...A grown man and a girl, Shinigami no less, were fighting infront of my surgery. That would chase my patience away.

„_Ano_, could you continue your quarrel somewhere else? You are disturbing my work!"

I pushed the wood door open, without giving the Shinigami a second glance, and took of my _getas_. They were pretty new. I bought them only two weeks ago, but they already fit perfectly. It would normaly take months until the wood would have taken the form of the feet. So I could call myself lucky with this purchase.

When I put the basket full with the medicine me and the chemist had developed, I could here the Shinigami fighting again. Only because I said that the surgery went well, it I didn´t mean to reduce my patient number.

„_Sato-sensei_?!" The voice of my assistent halled unsure through the _shoji walls_. She was a nice girl. Gentle and really good with patients – espeacially with children. I met her a year ago on the market. She was helping a boy who had a small cut on his wrist. Skilled, she bandaged it fastly and neat, so I asked her right away, if she needed a job. It transpired that she died only some years ago as a nurse in trainig and lived in a rough and ready room with two other girls. I gave her a job to support her friend and to secure her future. Here in Rukon was it not important if you could lay a catheter or a whole surgery. They needed internist who could treat common diseases, not something like cancer, leukaemia or brain tumors.

„Come in, Kaori-kun, Come in!" I shouted back.

Her head peeked into the room, revealing her troubled face. „There are Shinigami standing infront of the house..." Shyly she plugged one of her black strands behind her ear.

„I know, I know..." I stood up and together we walked back to the entrance.

„-ke-taicho needs a doctor and you can only think of-", the girl shouted. Only now I spotted her blond and short hair.

„Taichos health is the most important thought in my mind! But this Sato-guy doesn´t exist, obviously!"

I already could feel the vein on my forehead pop out like in an anime.

„Sensei...what should we do? Mohami-san wanted to come today..." Mohami Kira. An old and easily scared women with stomach problems. I still can´t say, if it´s a simple carbuncle or a virus. On that with a good earning son. She or bettter her son pays a sixth of my bills.

So for the sake of Kaori´s earning and Mohami-san´s well being, I slipped my getas on and headed over to the shinigamis.

„I am asking you only one time: What is your buisness here?", I barked. I couldn´t stand people always chatting, and chatting like children, while inhabiting an adult´s body. Espeacially, when they aren´t aware of their flaw.

Immedately, the two Shinigami stopped bikkering. Instead they stared at me. First perplexed, then angry. „We are Shinigami of the _Jusanbantai_!" Proud they layed their fists over their hearts.

„Third seat Kotetsu Kiyone!"

„Third seat Kotsubaki Sentaro!"

Unfortently they shouted it simulatanously, so I needed some time to figure out, who was who.

„That might be good for you, but why do you have to disturb this street without any reason! You are scaring away all the customers."

Offend, the girl – Kotetsu Kiyone, I think – blew up her cheeks. „We have an important mission!"

„We have THE MOST important mission!", howled Kotsubaki in the most childish manner I´ve ever seen.

„I can´t spot the importance in disturbance of peace!" I regreted that mumbled sentence just seconds later. They started with, how I could treat highly ranked officers of the Gotei 13 so rough and that it should be an honor to me that a citizien of our district, was chosen to counsel them. Then suddenly, they were fighting with eachother and completely ignoring me.

I had to sigh, deeply.

„Ano..._Gomen-nasai_!" A short boy with black hair aproached and bowed to me. „_Watashi no namae wa _Hanatarou Yamada - 7th seat _Yunbantai_ – _desu_. _Hajimemashite_." Finally! Someone with a normal name and normal behaviour. „Kotetsu-san and Kotsubaki-san, only want the best. _Gomen-nasai, Gomen-nasai, Gomen-nasai_!" With every apology, a new bow.

„_Hai_, _arigatou_, Yamada-san. _Hajimemashite_.- But could you explain, what Shinigami are doing here!? It´s the first time I´m seeing your kind since I died."

„_Hai, Hai_!" He bowed again. „We are searching for a doctor. His name ought to be Sato and it´s said he lives in this area!"

„_Sensei_, that´s you!", whispered Kaori in awe. I had to jump a little. She was so quiet, sometimes it seemed to me, she appears out of nowhere.

„Y-You are- _Gomen-nasai, Gomen-nasai, Gomen-nasai_!" Kaori giggled.

„_Nene_, Yamda-san. You don´t need to apologize." I ignored the still bickering couple and concluded it would be the best, to talk to Yamada only. „How about, I´ll invite you to some tea and we discuss your cause."

„_Hai_!_ Domo arigatou_!" He bowed again.

„Kaori-kun. I think my _haha_ is making tea right now. Could you ask her to share it with us?"

„_Hai, sensei_!", she smiled and turned around.

„Follow me, Yamada-san."

He followed me, until we reached the examination room and I asked him to sit down. He – again – thanked and bowed to me, before he sat down. Shortly after that Kaori came in with the tea plate.

„You too, Kaori-kun. Sit down."

Surprised she looked at me, but did as I told her.

„So...Yamada-san. You said the Shinigami need my advice?!" I sipped on my tea.

„Hai, Sato-sensei. A rumor reached Seiretei, that a doctor – you Sato-_sensei_ – dealed with a epidemic diseas recently and succeded at healing it. The describing, by the inhabitates of Rukon, of the symptons, matched the ones the _Jusanbantaicho_ has since a long time. So the _soutaicho_ and _yunbantaicho_ sent me to request counceling in his case." The jumpy and shy boy had disappeared and was replaced with a firm man.

„Oh...it´s kind of flattering, to hear, that the Seitiri- the Shinigami heard of my surgery, but I´m afraid to tell you, that I wasn´t able to cure the patients."

„Oh...Oh..." And there was the boy again.

„_Gomen-nasai._ I really can´t help you." Yamada looked crushed. Almost absently, he stared at the kotatsu. „B-But, _sensei_! Didn´t the medicine work first?", said Kaori hopeful. That let Yamada rise his head again.

„Hai...but I´m not sure...And even if it had worked, the man, who Yamada-san refered to, has tuberculosis since a long time. The women from the oiran infected themselve only some months before." I sighed. If only there would be an access to antibiotics. If only, if only...

Suddenly, the shoji door slid open and bursting into the room were Kotetsu and Kotsubaki.

„_Onegai_! _Onegai_! Help our taicho! Onegai!" Both had tears in their eyes.

It nearly broke my heart, to see them so desperate. Kneeling on the floor, right infront of me.

Did they really love that man so much? Not a lot of people would do something like that for their boss.

„I-I...Stand up..", I pleaded. They didn´t even flinch. „I have patients myself to care for. And my haha isn´t the youngest. On top of that, Kaori-kun needs to learn everything she can and it isn´t my intention to start right away with tuberculosis."

„Ano...There would be possibility to solve the last..." I turned to Yamada. „Because of the lack of capable Shinigami, we have nurses from Rukon working in the _Sugo Kyogo Tsumesho_ (coordinated relief station)."

„_Onegai shimasu_, Sato-sensei. We beg you! You have to treat our taicho!", cried Kotetsu. I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

„You are our last chance. _Onegai_! _Onegai_!", joined Kotsubaki.

„_Ano_...Sato-sensei...Maybe you should think about it...", whispered Kaori. „They really seem desperate."

„And what about the people here? I can´t put a single men´s live above the good many."

„They´ll will be fine. We just put on a sign, that they should go to the chemist directly. He knows enough about simple sickness."

And Mohami-san?! Well...her stomach problems weren´t that bad, but still...

„I will think about it. Give me two weeks and I´ll have decided if I´ll go or not."

* * *

I first discussed the matter with the chemist. But it didn´t bring me any further. His only concern was my haha´s well being, although he hinted, that he wanted to marry her. (My mother marries sooner than me, just great.)

So I talked to her and she was a lot more sceptical about it.

„Most of the people her despite the Shinigami here. It would be bad for your surgery, when you come back." I nodded. „But on the other side...if another epidemic breaks out and you would be able to cure it, because you gathered enough experience..." She took another sip of her tea. „And maybe you will meet my future son-in-law..."

„Hahaue...that is too much..." She laughed and patted my head.

„Let an old women like me keep her optimism. And I have the slight feeling, you´ll meet him soon."

And pigs could fly

* * *

**Thank your for reading**

**'till new year**

**Allytsuki**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I know...I needed a lot of time for this chapter, but-**

**Well, there isn´t a real explenation for this. I was just lazy... ;D**

**And alert on all, who aren´t up to date with the recent bleach chapters. HUGE SPOILER ALARM!**

**You will hate me, if you aren´t alreade at the Quincy Arc.**

**(what?! Quincy´s? Blime me! I thought they were dead!)**

**VOCABULARY TIME YAY!**

**(insert name) desu - I am (insert name)**

** Yunbantaicho - 4th Division Captain**

**Ichibantaicho - 1rst Division Captain**

**...I dunno?! Is there more?**

**Either way. Enjoy the next chapter^^**

* * *

In the end I decided to go. Although everything seemed against it, the thought of curing tuberculosis made me excited. I was once a specialist on it, during my residency in Tokio. Ten minutes of examine and speaking with the patient I was 93 percent sure, if it was tuberculosis or not. The antibiotics did the rest. The thrill of curing an illness stayed until I opened my own surgery. (A cold wasn´t and will never be 'exciting')

The few personal things I had, fitted into a simple cloth.

I gave my first yukata to girl next street. She grew out of her own and it wouldn´t have been profitable if I sold it. So my luggage consisted of a simple comb, a face cloth , a scissor and my night gown. When I was alive, my whole flat was full with odds-and-ends I collected within the years. And I never had the guts to throw it away.

On the other side, the herbs, the reddish and the dried cabbage were together with the honey in a wooden box. I never thought vegetables could be so heavy. Of course I charged everything on the steadily growing bill. That was the first thing I decided, after agreeing: My employment would be very expencive. It was the minimum they could do and I also thought, that they weren´t so poor either. And I wanted to pay haha's wedding. A festival for the whole street. It would be colourful and exciting. Children could eat sweets and play games of a normal shrine festival.

I sighed and followed the Shinigami through the streets. Aori sat on the barrow chatting happily with Yamada, who walked next to her. She was infatuated by the Shinigami and questioned him about nearly everything. I stopped listening after he told her how some guys from another division chased his team into the canalisation. What primitive apes. I sincerly hoped there would be more Shinigami like Yamada.

We needed three days, until we reached the gates of Seiritei. And apartently I twisted my ankle in the second or third district, but was too proud to admit it. So when when we reached the Yunbantai buildings I turned to Yamada and asked for a room, where Kaori and I could rest. He accepted with a lot formalities my proposal and guided us to a room.

„Rest for a while in here. I will inform Unohana-taicho about your arrival."

„Arigatou gozaimasu, Yamada-san. Send your taicho our regards."

„Hai..." The shoji door slipped shut. And while I preferred to sit down and examine my foot, Kaori prefered to stared at the door.

„You shouldn't get too attached to that boy. I don't know how long we will stay here..."

„I-I'm not getting attached...", she stuttered and moved to the otherside of the room. „He is just..."

I chuckled. „If you say so." My whole left foot was swollen and blue. Great. Sitting formal now would be impossible. I took a small can out of my cloth and smeared the penetrant stinking cream on my foot. „When we get to the patient, I want you to observe the way I´m going to examine him carefully. And of course his physical shape from the outside. It may be your only chance to see such an advanced tuberculosis condition."

„Hai, sensei!"

„And when I tell him, that I am not able to help him anymore. It is always a touchy topic."

For awhile, we just sat in that room and said nothing. I decided to lay down and close my eyes for a moment. Exercising, running around or any other athletics were´nt my thing and never will be.

To say I was exhausted, was underestimated. I would rather sleep a couple of hours, than meet that Unohana-taicho.

„Kaori-kun, when you hear footsteps, wake me up...", I murmured.

Her „Hai-sensei"was only a blur in my mind

Unfortunetly I had only some minutes, until I heard the footsteps myself. Hastily I massaged my eyelids and checked my hair. Only a slim strand had losen itself from my neat bun. While I had my surgery, when I was alive, I wore it in a ponytail, but due to the sanitary circumstances in my district, my daily bath was changed into every-third-day-bath.

„_Shitsureishimasu_!", halted Yamada-san´s voice through the door, before it opened. „I hope you had a pleasant rest. - Unohana-taicho is ready to welcome you."

We followed him through the bright corridors of the division building. It was neat, clean and bright. It reminded me of this small clinic in my hometown. I helped out in my summer holidays, because our local doctor was slowly approaching the seventy´s and needed from time to time a help. A freshman of the medicine department at University helped him a lot. And got me good references for my CV.

Three minutes later, we reached a big shoji door. Timid Yamada stood infront of it and humpled his deep apologies for being rude and announced my and Kaori´s company.

The first person I spotted was a women in her forty´s. Her long and silky hair was braided in front of her. She wore that shihakusho and a white haori over it.

Next to her stood a man, slightly younger than her. Unshaved for almost four or five days. But what the most disturbing about him was the pink haori with cherry blossom petals embroiled on it. On top of his head, rested a strawhead for travelers. This man gave me the creeps. I don´t know why, but he didn´t seem like the type of person I normally would associate with. Beside him stood a man with long and white hair (odd, very odd) with the same uniform as the women.

„Kombawan, watashi no namae wa Sato Shiori desu." I bowed. „And the girl behind me is my appreciance."

„ Kombawan, Kaori _desu_.", replied Kaori and bowed, still behind me.

„Kombawan, Shiori-san." My left eyebrow twitched as the women spoke to me. I studied and learned twelve years for the suffix '-sensei'. Although she had a very pleasant voice. „And ofcourse Kaori-chan." It twitched again. She was a girl, yes. But not for long. „I am the Yunbantaicho, Unohana Retsu." Unohana bowed.

„Ichibantaicho, Kyoraku Shunsui. Hajimemashta." The haori man tipped with his fingertips at his strawhat and nodded. „This is my friend, Ukitake Juushiro, Jusanbantaicho."

„Hajimemashta.", welcomed me Ukitake and bowed.

„Hanataro-kun, arigatou. You can go now.", declared Unohana.

„Hai." The door slid shut.

„I welcome you to Seiritei, Sato-san!", chirped Kyoraku and winked me and Kaori nearer. With just a glance, I ordered Kaori to stay put and aproached the Shinigami.

„Arigatou, Kyoraku-dono, Unohana-dono, Ukitake-dono." I bowed again. Maybe I misheard it, but Kyoraku may have chuckled. „I apreciate your welcome, but my time is limited. There are patients waiting for me to return, so if you could please bring me to your patient?!"

Suddenly I felt rather cold and I had the slight feeling these cold vibes came from Unohana. She was now the one, who gave me the creeps.

„That won´t be necessary. He´s already here." He pointed at Ukitake. „Ukitake-taicho is the patient." I blinked confused. It completely slipped my mind, that the patient was a taicho. Mustering I looked at him. Before Kyoraku´s statement, he had seemed rather dignified, but now he almost blushed like a schoolboy. Apart from that, he looked pale and slimmed-down.

„I don´t understand...When Ukitake-dono is your patient...then why for kami´s sake is he out of bed?" I said it louder than I wanted to.

„He wanted to attend this meeting personally.", declared Unohana with a stern glance. I noted to myself, to agate as passive as possible from now on.

„Gomen-nasai. I never intended to be rude." I bowed.

„Yare, yare, Unohana-senpai.", interrupted Kyoraku and tipped at his hat. „She was just slipping in her doctor habits. - Sato-san, how about you have a look at our Ukitake-taicho?!"

„Now? Here?" Unsure I let my eyes wander around the room. „Are you-"

„I think Kyoraku-taicho has been clear enough." Unohana was really scary.

Hastily I opened the knot if my cloth and took it from my shoulders.

„Then I ask you to undress, Ukitake-dono. You have to take off at least your kosode and shitagi. - Can I wash my hands somewhere?" Unohana pointed at a bowl filled with water on a small table next to her. After I had cleaned my hands from all the travel dirt, I grapped my stethoscope out of the cloth. „Kaori-kun, please assist Ukitake-dono." With graceful steps, she went over to Ukitake and took the kosode from him and folded it.

The picture I got, was not really pleasant. An underweight, pale and pitched body stood infront of me. I could easily spot his ribs and collarbone. The strange thing were his muscles. Apart from being slimed-down, he had muscles like an athlete. What did they do tto him? Force him on a treadmill everyday?

Kaori hugged the clothes tightly. It was the first time for her to see such a condition.

„Allright..." I stepped to Ukitake and layed my stethoscope on his chest.

Heart beat normal. „Allright, would you please cough..."

That didn´t sound very good. „Again please." I could see out of the corner of my eye, how Kaori trembled.

I tapped his chest. „Do you feel any pain?"

„I don´t."

„And here?" I moved over to his sides.

„Slightly. But it is nothing to speak of...", he admitted

I sighed. „No, it is not. Everything, every single symptom can lead to the right diagnosis." Carefully I put pressure on his lymph nodes at his neck. „Does this hurt?"

„Yes."

„Please raise your arms..." Now the lymph nodes at the axilla. „And here?"

„Yes."

„That´s good. So your immune system is still fighting." I nodded. „Allright. You can cover yourself." I washed my hands again, still under the watch of Unohana and put my stethoscope back into my cloth. Kaori handed Ukitake – slightly trembling – his own clothes.

„What about, we sit down. I don´t think it is a good idea to stress Ukitake-dono, more than necessary."

The three taicho seemed to agree and a little later, everyone was seated on the tatami floor, looking rather sceptically at me. But before they could ask me the famous phrase „Oh, sensei, how bad is it?" I preferred to continue my examination. The physical part might be done, still the informative talk with the patient had to follow.

„Ukitake-dono, under what symptoms do you suffer?" I blinked at Kaori, so she would start with her notes. I might be a doctor, but my mind could easily slip something (especially, when someone as creepy as Unohana was watching me).

„I feel exhausted most of the day." He paused. „And sometimes, even if I am, I can´t sleep very well."

„Does this insomnia come in intervals or spontaneous?"

„Mostly spontanous. One night, I sleep like a stone and the other is very restless..." I could hear how the coal in Kaori´s hand scrupped over the paper in her hands. This silence gave me goosebumps. Hopefully not too bold I eyed Ukitake. He appeared to me quite shy and considerate. Not my favourite patient, if you asked me. They are always the ones, who don´t want to trouble their family and friends with their needs and often underestimate their condition.

I sighed inwardly. Knowing he wouldn´t tell me anything precicely, I switched from sensible to bold. I had enough of this. They order me here to say, if I can save him or not and the patient isn´t cooperative. What a world.

„Allright. Too fasten this...process, I will ask you a question and you will answer with 'yes' or 'no'." I didn´t even wait for their approval. „Did or do you experience any kind of night sweats?"

„Well, that´s very-"

„Just answer with 'yes' or 'no', Ukitake-dono..." I already could feel the hands of Unohana gripping my neck tighter.

Slightly intimidated, he hemmed. „Yes, I do."

„Any coughing?"

„Yes..."

„Does it feel like your lungs are pierced with hundreds of needles at the same time and are thrown up your throat?"

„...Yes." From the corner of my eye I could see Kyoraku looking at him pitily. I think they were friends.

„Do or did you cough up green and/or yellow salivary juice?"

Ukitake swallowed. „Yes."

„Ever coughed up blood?"

„Yes."

„Recently?"

„...Yes."

I turned to Kaori, making out that she made her notes neatly. „You can stop writing now, Kaori. - The last question, Ukitake-dono. For how long do you have noticed that kind of symptoms?"

„Since I´ve been a young man."

I nodded, while I started biting my lip. There is no chance of curing. Right?! All the symptoms for more than one decade, in a horrible state, without antibiotics and modern technology curing seems impossible. Seems. He survived all those years...somehow. But who said, that he would withstand the next years?

„Sato-sensei..." Kaori´s whispering brought me back. Appartently not in the most elegant way: I nearly jumped some centimeters to the left.

„So, Sato-san. What do you say?" Kyoraku smiled faintly at me. His face could also have stamp on it with 'Hoping Bestie'.

„Honestly?! - I can´t do anything for you, Ukitake-dono." Kyoraku´s face got suddenly stiff, while Ukitake didn´t look so surprised. He might have expected that answer. Although, he didn´t look very content either. „You have tuberculosis. Lung tuberculosis to be exact, on top of that, you reached a critical stadium, where I can´t be of any help."

I heard Kaori shifting uncomfortable beside me.

„I understand. So there is no hope?" Surprised I turned to Ukitake. His unsure mimic had changed to a stern and serious expression.

„...I will put it like that: The chance that I am able to cure you lays under ten percent. The chance, that you live long enough, so that I will have the chance to cure the tuberculosis lays under five. And I mean it. The therapy I thought I could use, was only tested once. And those patients all died."

Silence.

„I see. You need some time to consider-"

„No, there isn´t.", responded Ukitake firmly. „I will do it."

* * *

**phew...that was long...'Till next time...**


End file.
